Blood is Thicker Than Water
by iPods-and-Tea
Summary: What of Ozai was the loving one and Iroh was the corrupt one? After the death of Lu Ten Iroh goes nuts and captures Zuko, in denial of his son's death, claiming Zuko as his own. OOC


_**A**_ grief-stricken Iroh crawls back home distressed and unwilling to take up the throne. He's in denial and is trying to refuse his son is truly gone. When he arrives home his concerned brother, niece, & nephew come up and embrace him trying to encourage him to go on because they all love him. Ozai and Iroh's father Azulon has fallen ill since the death of his daughter-in-law, Ursa had taken quite a hard toll on him and they both know, as distraught as they are to admit it, that their father doesn't have much time left. They know that Iroh must soon take up the throne. Ozai is very worried about his brother, he is in no condition to rule a nation, he couldn't steal the throne from his older brother, he was born first, it was only fair that he became fire lord after his daddy. Iroh can't help but ignore his family's vain attempts to cheer him up and glance at Ozai with envy at his living son, Zuko. He was extremely jealous that his nephew didn't have to be sacrificed at war, why only his Lu Ten? Just because he was older it wasn't fair? Why should Ozai be spared his children when he had already lost his son and wife. One day, in an endeavor to perk their uncle's spirits Ozai permitted his children to go out on a picnic with Iroh, it was Azula's idea, Ozai was so proud at how thoughtful his daughter was and how the siblings got along so well after the death of his wife. They still had a small sibling rivalry and occasional squabbles, but they were children after all. Ozai also thought it would give him time to tend to his poor, dying, mournful father and get his children's mind off of their grandfather's diminishing health. While out on the picnic Iroh can't help but notice the striking similarity between Zuko and Lu Ten as Azula sets the blanket and Zuko sets the plates Iroh encroaches on them.

"Hello, my niece," Iroh says to Azula.

"Hi, Uncle, feeling any better Zuzu says you seem happier, isn't that right, big brother?" Azula smiles happily.

"Right, `Zula!" Zuko replies, smiling brightly, "Don't forget, Uncle, me, `Zula, Daddy, and Poppop love you very much no matter what!"

"Thank you, nephew..." Iroh grinned deviously from grief-struck insanity.

"We loved cousin LuLu too, Uncle," Azula said grimly and Iroh's heart was shot, he took his niece up by her shirt as she screamed.

"Put `Zula down, Uncle, you're hurting my sister!" Zuko cried protectively.

"You are coming with me, Lu Ten, my son!" Iroh said maniacally.

"That's ZuZu, Uncle!" Azula cried as Iroh released her and snatched Zuko in his arms while Zuko fought him frantically.

"Uncle, no, put me down!" Zuko yelled.

"Put big brother down, now, Uncle!" Azula demanded.

"I can't have this..." Iroh grumbled, "Lu Ten, you will obey your father!" Iroh yelled as he shot a ball of fire into his nephew's face, an agonizing scream piercing all their ears.

"ZuZu!" Azula cried as she watched her brother cry in her psychopathic Uncle's clutches, "Don't worry, Zuzu, I'm gonna get Dad!" Azula cried as tears flowed off her cheeks, Zuko unconcious in his Uncle's arms. How could his Uncle burn Zuko's face like that? She had to find Daddy, they had to save Zuzu! Iroh abducted his nephew and took up a ship and crew and steered off away, forever to be in battle with "Lu Ten". Azula dashed into her grandfather's death-bed with her father by his side.

"DADDY!" Azula screamed, having a breakdown. Seeing the pain in his daughter's eyes gave a twisted pang in Ozai's heart as well as the semiconscious Azulon.

"Sweetheart, what-what is it? What's going on, tell Daddy?" Ozai said, his heart pounding faster.

"Uncle burnt ZuZu's face! I'm scared!" Azula sobbed and Ozai's eyes widened. His brother wouldn't do such a thing? He knew he was hurting, Ozai himself was still upset for his poor nephew, but this...why?

"My grandson..? My son did this to my grandson...Iroh wouldn't..." Azulon pondered in shame and hurt.

"Azula, sweetie, stay with your Poppop, I'm going to go find Zuko and put a stop to your Uncle, he needs help," Ozai said trying to retain his fury.

"Okay, daddy..." Azula said as she clutched her grandfather's sleeve weeping and a tear trickled down Azulon's face as well. Ozai stormed after his brother, who did he think he was? Burning HIS Zuko? That was his little boy, just because he lost his doesn't give him the right to take Ozai's? His brother was not in the right mental state, Ozai tried to tell himself, but he couldn't help but be furious, how bad was his son's burn? Was it fatal? Ozai quickly cleared the horrifying thought from his head. He had to get to his son, was his scar becoming infected? No. His son would not die, he promised his wife that he'd look after their children, this couldn't happen, he wouldn't let it.

"Ursa, I swear, I'll keep my promise to you, my love," Ozai whispered determinedly. He looked for days, searching for his son but to no avail. Ozai was suffering great anguish. Meanwhile, Iroh treated to "Lu Ten's" wound, Zuko was just beginning to awaken.

"…ugh…where am I?" Zuko asked.

"Son!" Iroh exclaimed.

"You were injured in battle, I was afraid you'd never wake up. Would you like some tea, my son?" Iroh said.

"…huh? I-I can't remember….anything…what is my name?" Zuko asked obliviously.

"You are Lu Ten, heir to the fire nation throne and my beloved son," Iroh explained his lie, taking advantage of the amnesia he gave to his nephew. Ozai never found his son or brother. Zuko was left brainwashed with his Uncle in the sea forever. Ozai sent troops out to find them, and never sent them back in, he could not give up on Zuko. Azulon passed, Iroh still did not return. Ozai was losing hope, he now had to reluctantly steal his brother's rightful spot on as Fire Lord. He never knew the severity of his son's burn, so he wasn't that angry at his grief-driven brother, had he known the severity, things may have been different. Years passed, no sign from Zuko. Ozai had broken his promise to Ursa. Azula's mind was crumbling, but she was all he had. She was now 10, three years since Zuko's kidnapping. Ozai is on the brink of losing his mind, only thing keeping him together is his precious baby girl. Azula is not quite right either, she wakes up screaming for Zuzu every other night. The image of her Uncle burning him must haunt her. She blames herself for not stopping him. Ozai comes in every night when he hears his baby scream. He cradles her in his arms and tells her soothing reassurances. She did the right thing by telling him, there was nothing she could do, she was a baby. They would both weep together. Ozai would spend more time with his daughter than reigning the country but the war, that he desperately wanted to end, was pressuring time away from his daughter. Why was the Fire NAtion making everyone suffer? Ozai lost a lot of time for Azula when the Earth Kingdom attacked the Fire Nation, he tried to reason with her but she fell into a depression. Without his awareness she became emo and suicidal. Azula killed herself, she felt she had no one without her father's attention and the guilt of her brother. Ozai discovered his beloved daughter had murdered herself on account of him. The guilt of the loss of his entire family corrupted his mind. Making him lose the ability for compassion or love. It was all his fault, he believed, that his wife died, he should've saved her, he should've helped his brother more in his time of grieving, he should've been more observant of Zuko, and more tentative of Azula.

Ozai went into a descent of madness and used power and war as a distraction from being alone. He hurt and destroyed others for justice of his family being destroyed. It wasn't fair. It was his only escape, the war and violence. He had lost his true self. Destiny was not his friend. Zuko, manipulated into thinking he was Lu Ten by his corrupted, conniving uncle helped the avatar slay his own father and end the war. As Zuko went up to his father with his Uncle behind him Ozai's heart was filled.

"Zuko…son…" Ozai wept as he embraced the boy,

"I am Lu Ten! Son of Iroh!" Zuko exclaimed as he stabbed a knife into his father's back, he died slowly with a smile on his face. At least his son and brother were happy. Iroh was now Fire Lord. They all thought the war was over with the death of Ozai. The reign of Iroh and then Zuko would be far worse. The war had just begun…


End file.
